Daily Norseman - All PostsThe Purple and Gold Standardhttps://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48653/dailynorseman_fave.png2015-08-02T04:00:02-05:00http://www.dailynorseman.com/rss/current/2015-08-02T04:00:02-05:002015-08-02T04:00:02-05:00Mankato Is Quickly Becoming Diggstown
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<p>For the past couple of years. . .or maybe longer, though I hadn't really noticed it. . .a favorite pastime among the local <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> media members during Training Camp has been to speculate as to who will win the title of "Mr. Mankato." That is, who will be the guy that comes out of nowhere to really impress coaches and fans during the time that the team is going through their preseason preparations.</p>
<p>We're only a week into those preseason preparations, but it sounds as though we may already be able to declare a winner in the Mr. Mankato competition for 2015.</p>
<p>Wide receiver <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/254593/stefon-diggs">Stefon Diggs</a>, who the Vikings selected in the fifth round (#146 overall) of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">2015 NFL Draft</a>, has been the guy whose name has appeared most frequently among those who have impressed early in camp this year, and it appears that he can be primed to make a big impact this season.</p>
<p>It shouldn't be <i>this</i> surprising that Diggs has made an impression. He was a highly sought after high school athlete, being ranked as the #2 wide receiver prospect in the nation by both Rivals.com and Scout.com in 2011. Despite scholarship offers from schools such as Ohio State, USC, and Auburn, Diggs chose to stay close to home and attend the University of Maryland. As a freshman, he was eighth in the nation in all-purpose yards per game, and ranked fifth in the ACC in receiving yards per game, second in kick return average, and fifth in punt return average.</p>
<p>After that, however, injuries began to play a role for Diggs. He played in just seven games as a sophomore in 2013, and missed a couple of games with injuries at the end of 2014 as well. Still, as a junior, he was good enough to be named to the All-B1G second team. Diggs then decided to forego his senior season with the Terrapins to enter the 2015 NFL Draft.</p>
<p>The Vikings suddenly have a lot of talent at wide receiver, thanks to the acquisition of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71118/mike-wallace">Mike Wallace</a> and the emergence of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/193969/charles-johnson">Charles Johnson</a>, among other things. But&nbsp;<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/173077/stefon-diggs-shines-under-the-lights-in-vikings-night-practice" target="_blank">the reviews coming out of Mankato</a> on Diggs thus far make it easy to think that he's going to be making an impression on Sundays sooner rather than later. His quarterback was certainly impressed with his first prime-time performance on Saturday.</p>
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<p>Diggs was one of the stars of the Vikings' annual evening practice at Blakeslee Stadium, drawing cheers from the capacity crowd of 10,300 with a series of impressive catches. He hauled in a 40-yard touchdown from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2092/shaun-hill">Shaun Hill</a> on a ball over his head, went low to catch a ball over the middle in traffic and took a touchdown pass away from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/109964/marcus-sherels">Marcus Sherels</a> on a corner route in a red zone drill.</p>
<p>"Some guys showed up big tonight, talking about <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/255784/stefon-diggs">Stefon Diggs</a>," quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/245505/teddy-bridgewater">Teddy Bridgewater</a> said. "(He's) showing what it takes to play in this league."</p>
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<p>Even if Diggs doesn't get into the wide receiver rotation, it appears that he's the favorite at this point to assume punt return duties. . .and, possibly, kick return duties if <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/245519/cordarrelle-patterson">Cordarrelle Patterson</a> doesn't get back to his late-2013 form sooner rather than later. Diggs excelled as a returner with the Terrapins, and has all the skills to do so at the pro level as well.</p>
<p>Yes, it's very early in the process, but it's starting to look like the Vikings got themselves quite a find in Stefon Diggs. Hopefully what the heavy "Mr. Mankato" favorite has shown thus far will transition to games against defenders that aren't wearing purple.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/2/9086157/mankato-is-quickly-becoming-diggstownChristopher Gates2015-08-01T17:30:29-05:002015-08-01T17:30:29-05:00Minnesota Vikings Sign Ryan Whalen
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<p>From all of the reports that have come out of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> Training Camp thus far, one would think that the last position that the team would need any help at would be the wide receiver spot. However, the team has brought in another receiver, and he's another former Cincinnati Bengal.</p>
<p>The team has signed <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/131111/ryan-whalen">Ryan Whalen</a>, who the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/cincinnati-bengals">Bengals</a> selected in the sixth round of the 2011 Draft out of Stanford. He played for the Bengals from 2011 to 2013, and was not in the NFL in 2014.</p>
<p>Whalen didn't do a whole lot while he was in Cincinnati. . .in three years with the Bengals, he caught 11 passes for 80 yards, didn't have a reception longer than 13 yards, and hasn't caught a pass since 2012. He also saw some time on special teams for the Bengals.</p>
<p>The signing of Whalen puts the Vikings' roster back at 90 players, meaning that nobody had to be released to make room for him on the roster.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/1/9085199/minnesota-vikings-sign-ryan-whalenChristopher Gates2015-08-01T13:25:27-05:002015-08-01T13:25:27-05:00Notes From Saturday Morning's Walkthrough At Vikings Camp
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<p>There's a bigger break than normal for the afternoon/evening session at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a>' Training Camp today. The team is going to be having a full pads practice at 7:15 PM Central, which you'll be able to follow the action from (in text form) via the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/1/9083861/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-seven-open-thread" target="_blank">Open Thread</a>.</p>
<p>Arif is flying solo for us today in Mankato, and he's got a few other writing commitments to keep as well as to us, though hopefully there's a notebook coming later on. However, I will do my best to provide a reasonable facsimile and get some of the reactions from the team beat writers from Mankato for today's practice.</p>
<p>This first one is one that I find particularly interesting, given what the team wants to do at the linebacker position.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/193635/gerald-hodges">Gerald Hodges</a> will get some work at MLB, Zimmer said. "Gerald has done a nice job of the things I'm asking him to do," Zimmer said.</p>
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoesslingESPN/status/627523433652338689">August 1, 2015</a>
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Well, Hodges has gotten time so far at weak-side linebacker and strong-side linebacker, so it only seems right that he gets some time in the middle as well, right? I still think that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/254484/eric-kendricks">Eric Kendricks</a> should be considered the heavy favorite to come out of camp with the starting middle linebacker job, but Hodges has shown a lot of versatility, and might even find himself as the primary backup at all three linebacker spots. He's a guy that the Vikings probably need to get on the field more, and I suppose this could be one way of doing that. It would also give the Vikings the flexibility to mix and match their linebackers depending on the situation if they needed to.</p>
<p>The Vikings did a little bit of shuffling around the offensive line as well.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">And David Yankey working at left tackle with the second team. First time I've seen this. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash">#Vikings</a></p>
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) <a href="https://twitter.com/MasterStrib/status/627510316700602368">August 1, 2015</a>
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Yankey did play some left tackle at Stanford. . .at an All-American level, in fact. . .before shifting to left guard, which was thought to be his best fit in the NFL. It sounds like <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/152652/matt-kalil">Matt Kalil</a> is continuing to struggle, so the team would be wise to have as many potential options at left tackle as possible if he should get the hook during the regular season. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/254592/t-j-clemmings">T.J. Clemmings</a> might be the long-term answer at the tackle spot, but the team might not quite feel comfortable throwing him out there yet.</p>
<p>One spot that hasn't seen any change is right guard, where <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/155108/mike-harris">Mike Harris</a> continues to hold on. It sounds like Mike Zimmer may have originally set a deadline of today to figure out what the team is going to do at that spot, but apparently went back on that today.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zimmer scrutinizing RG; pleased thus far with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/156052/mike-harris">Mike Harris</a>. "It’s more important to make the right decision than a fast decision." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vikings?src=hash">#vikings</a></p>
— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/murphPPress/status/627529112115113984">August 1, 2015</a>
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<p>
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Harris appears to be the answer at the spot for now, but there's still plenty of time for that to change.</p>
<p>Last, but certainly not least, our old friend Kevin Seifert has reminded us of a very somber anniversary for today.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Korey Stringer died 14 years ago today at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash">#Vikings</a> camp. Please: Heat stroke is 100 pct preventable. Tips from CDC: <a href="http://t.co/zqypQsXYu8">http://t.co/zqypQsXYu8</a></p>
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeifertESPN/status/627519589660917760">August 1, 2015</a>
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R.I.P., Big K.</p>
<p>Remember, even if you're not a professional athlete, when the temperature goes up, it's incredibly important to stay hydrated. Heat stroke is something that can happen to anybody, but as Seifert says, it's also 100% preventable.</p>
<p>That's a little bit of an early look at what's going on in Mankato on this Saturday. Like I said earlier in the piece, the Vikings' late session today won't kick off until 7:15 PM Central time. Hopefully there will be more information to glean from that session as well.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/1/9084607/notes-from-saturday-mornings-walkthrough-at-vikings-campChristopher Gates2015-08-01T09:30:02-05:002015-08-01T09:30:02-05:00Minnesota Vikings Training Camp Day Seven Open Thread
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<p>We've got more Training Camp goodness for you on this Saturday, ladies and gentlemen. Arif is once again down in Mankato, and we've got all of your other <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Vikings</a>' beat writers on the coverage for you today as well.</p>
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<p>The schedule for today is going to be a little bit different. The morning walkthrough is still going to take place from 10:30 to 11:30 AM Central time, but the late session will not take place until 7:15 PM, and that's scheduled to run until approximately 9:15 PM Central time.</p>
<p>Today is also Family Football Day at Vikings Training Camp. Among the events that will be taking place today are a Junior Training Camp from noon to 1:00 PM, and a Junior Cheerleading Clinic from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. The Vikings Village will also be open for the morning session from 9:30 AM to 2 PM (that's a closing time of two hours later than normal), and for the evening session from 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM.</p>
<p>We hope you're enjoying our coverage of Training Camp thus far, ladies and gentlemen. Our favorite team has been at it for a week, and next week at this time will probably be boarding their flight for Canton, Ohio in preparation for the Hall of Fame Game. And, next week, we'll be watching the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement of Vikings' great Mick Tingelhoff. Makes for a pretty damn fine start to the preseason, doesn't it?</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/1/9083861/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-seven-open-threadChristopher Gates2015-08-01T04:59:28-05:002015-08-01T04:59:28-05:00Vikings Listed As Super Bowl "Sleeper" By K.C. Joyner
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<p>As we sit one week away from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> taking the field against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/pittsburgh-steelers">Pittsburgh Steelers</a> in this year's Hall of Fame game to start the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-preseason">NFL preseason</a>, another article comes from&nbsp;<a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/13342459/kc-joyner-examines-three-super-bowl-sleepers-nfl" target="_blank">behind the great E$PN In$ider paywall</a> that gives a pretty favorable impression of this year's Vikings team.</p>
<p>K.C. Joyner, known as The Football Scientist, has an article detailing three teams he's deemed as <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> "sleepers" for this coming season. The Vikings are listed as one of those three teams, along with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/miami-dolphins">Miami Dolphins</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/new-york-giants">New York Giants</a>.</p>
<p>Joyner lists three reasons for putting the Vikings on such a lofty perch, and the first has to do with the man who, more than anyone else, holds the key to a successful 2015 for the Minnesota Vikings. That, of course, would be quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/245505/teddy-bridgewater">Teddy Bridgewater</a>.</p>
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<p>Bridgewater had the type of rookie campaign that, in previous years,&nbsp;<a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/12075921/why-teddy-bridgewater-deserves-win-offensive-rookie-year-nfl" target="_blank">would have led to an offensive rookie of the year award</a>. From Weeks 13-17, Bridgewater was tied for the league lead in completion percentage (72.1 percent) and his 16.5 vertical yards per attempt (11 yards or more) ranked first overall. He also ranked 11th in Total QBR and set a record for the highest completion percentage by a rookie attempting 40 or more passes in a single game. Throw in his 0.5 percent bad decision rate (BDR, which measures how often a passer makes a mental error that leads to a turnover opportunity for the opposing team), tied for third-lowest, and it means Bridgewater could be on his way to competing with the top young quarterbacks in the NFL.</p>
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<p>We've talked about&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/7/8742633/on-teddy-bridgewaters-decision-making" target="_blank">Teddy Bridgewater's decision-making skills</a> in the past, and for a guy that's only made 12 career NFL starts, they're pretty staggering. Bridgewater is already reading defenses and processing information at a veteran level. . .and not just a veteran level, but a top-notch veteran level. And he did it all last season with things pretty much falling apart around him. With better personnel and more stability in 2015, things should be even better for him.</p>
<p>Part of that stability has to do with the second thing that Joyner cites in his article, that being the Vikings' rushing attack and the return of running back <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/19109/adrian-peterson">Adrian Peterson</a>.</p>
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<p>Minnesota would have the makings of a powerful rushing attack even without Peterson. The Vikings finished tied for eighth in my good blocking productivity (GBP) metric, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/245518/jerick-mckinnon">Jerick McKinnon</a> ranked fifth in good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA), which measures a ball carrier's productivity when the defense isn't able to disrupt a rushing attempt. The potential benefit of this for Peterson is that the Vikings don't need him to rack up 2,500 rushing yards on his own; they just need him to move an already-strong ground game into elite status.</p>
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<p>I know that people are expecting big numbers from Peterson this year, and those will probably happen. But prior to his injury last season, McKinnon showed enough to prove that he can, at the very least, spell Peterson to preserve him a bit more as the season wears on. Peterson will probably have a big year in 2015, but he doesn't necessarily <i>have</i> to have a big year in order for the Vikings to be successful.</p>
<p>Speaking of personnel, the most significant offensive addition is the subject of Joyner's third part of his look at the Vikings, that being wide receiver <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71118/mike-wallace">Mike Wallace</a>.</p>
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<p>Wallace didn't impact Miami's vertical passing game as much as expected, but one thing he did do well was score touchdowns. Over the last two seasons, only 10 wide receivers tallied more receiving scores than Wallace's 15. Last year, the Vikings ranked tied for 19th in passing touchdowns to wide receivers (13). Wallace's arrival makes a top-10 finish in that category a legitimate possibility, especially if he's able to again become a difference-maker deep.</p>
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<p>While it's true that Wallace didn't live up to the huge contract he got from the Dolphins, the numbers he put up down there would have made him the Vikings' leading receiver by a comfortable margin in each of those two seasons. This came about despite the fact that Miami's quarterback, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/4046/ryan-tannehill">Ryan Tannehill</a>, has had his struggles with the deep ball during his time as a starter. Bridgewater, on the other hand, has shown to be pretty solid in that regard, albeit in a limited number of attempts. Wallace is definitely going to have the opportunity to make plays this year for the Vikings, and there's reason to be confident that getting him for a fifth-round pick is going to end up looking like a real steal by the end of the season.</p>
<p>Add another believer to the Minnesota Vikings' bandwagon for 2015. Looks like it's getting pretty crowded back there.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/8/1/9083611/vikings-listed-as-super-bowl-sleeper-by-k-c-joynerChristopher Gates2015-07-31T14:51:11-05:002015-07-31T14:51:11-05:00Mike Harris Is Still Leading At Right Guard
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<p>On the first day of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> Training Camp, it came as a bit of a surprise that the name of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/155108/mike-harris">Mike Harris</a> had been thrown into the mix to step into the vacated spot at right guard. Harris had served in the role of backup tackle after being signed prior to Week 1 of last season, and when he was pressed into playing guard against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/buffalo-bills">Buffalo Bills</a> due to injuries, he said after the game that he hadn't played guard "since Pop Warner."</p>
<p>However, a full week into camp, Harris appears to not only be hanging onto the right guard spot, he may be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.startribune.com/turner-harris-has-looked-surprisingly-good-in-transition-to-guard/320299421/" target="_blank">solidifying his grip on it</a>.</p>
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<p>"It's tough for a guy his size, his length, in there," Turner said. "But he's going against good players and I think he's doing well. He's gradually getting his pad level down. He can't play too high in there because you're going to play against big guys all the time."</p>
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<p>Harris has played pretty much all of the first-team snaps at right guard thus far in camp. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said that Harris has looked "surprisingly good," which sounds like a fairly positive thing to me. Will it last all the way to Week 1 of the regular season, or will someone like <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/254598/tyrus-thompson">Tyrus Thompson</a> (who Arif&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/30/9072453/2015-minnesota-vikings-training-camp-notebook-day-three-and-four" target="_blank">really seems to like</a>) sneak in and take the spot from him?</p>
<p>NORV~! also brought us this important update from a local softball league that the Vikings' employee softball team is a part of.</p>
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<p>"Just a sport update," he said. "The Vikings employee softball team got beat last night. Couple of the players are here. I think they got mercy-ruled. And one of our equipment guys, Terrell [Barnes], got run over at third base by a girl, they say. That's the sports update, if you missed it."</p>
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<p>Jon Ekstrom, from the Vikings' PR staff, pointed out that if you take away the first inning, the Vikings' employees actually won the game, 9-7. Which, I guess, is sort of like saying that if you took away the first three quarters of the Thursday night game in Green Bay last year, the Vikings actually won 10-0.</p>
<p>The afternoon session of today's Training Camp is just getting underway. Check out our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/31/9077905/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-six-open-thread" target="_blank">Training Camp Open Thread</a> for today to keep up with everything that's going on!</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/31/9081521/mike-harris-is-still-leading-at-right-guardChristopher Gates2015-07-31T09:30:02-05:002015-07-31T09:30:02-05:00Minnesota Vikings Training Camp Day Six Open Thread
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<p>After a day off, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> are going to be back at it today in Mankato with another pair of practices.</p>
<p>The schedule for practice today will be the same as its been for the other days in this early part of camp. The morning walkthrough will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 AM Central, and the afternoon full pads practice will run from 2:45 PM to 5:00 PM Central.</p>
<p>Arif is down in Mankato for us today, and you can follow him and the rest of the folks that are covering Training Camp with our handy Twitter feed, which you can see below.</p>
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<p>As usual, we would like to ask that the regular Open Thread chicanery be limited to the normal&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/31/9077807/friday-open-thread" target="_blank">Daily Open Thread</a>, while everything relating to camp gets discussed here.</p>
<p>Here's to another productive and healthy day of Minnesota Vikings Training Camp, ladies and gentlemen. We're already a week in, and we're a little more than a week away from our favorite team actually taking the field again.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/31/9077905/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-six-open-threadChristopher Gates2015-07-31T05:37:11-05:002015-07-31T05:37:11-05:00Danielle Hunter May Contribute Sooner Than Expected
<img alt="" src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zYWzpkX7JfpbPsBqL8rTcejmPpQ=/0x0:5184x3456/400x267/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46871268/1-b__65_.0.0.JPG" />
<p>When the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/minnesota-vikings">Minnesota Vikings</a> used their third-round pick in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">2015 NFL Draft</a> on defensive end <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/254483/danielle-hunter">Danielle Hunter</a>, the thought was that they were getting an incredible physical specimen whose football abilities would take a lot of refining. He put on a real show at the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-combine">Scouting Combine</a>, clocking in with a 40-yard dash time of 4.57 seconds, but managed just 1.5 sacks in his final season at LSU before he declared for the draft.</p>
<p>However, Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer&nbsp;<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/14527/zimmer-danielle-hunter-a-lot-less-raw-than-we-thought" target="_blank">appears to be surprised</a> by what Hunter has brought to the table this far.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He is a lot less raw then we thought. He has really been impressive, honestly," coach Mike Zimmer said. "That's why I want to see him against some of the other competition. He is a tremendous athlete with very, very long arms. I asked one of the coaches about him the other day on what he thought and he was very, very positive about him."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If the Vikings are going to be rotating their defensive ends the way they want to, they're going to need contributions from both Hunter and second-year end <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/245509/scott-crichton">Scott Crichton</a> to take some stress off of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/108433/everson-griffen">Everson Griffen</a> and Brian Robison. As Ben Goessling notes in the linked article, both Griffen and Robison played a lot of snaps in 2014 (993 for Griffen, 932 for Robison). The team is going to want to keep those two guys, particularly Robison, fresh this season, and that can't happen if Crichton and Hunter are going to be stuck to the bench.</p>
<p>As it stands now, Hunter is the youngest player on the Vikings' roster. . .he's only 20 years old and won't turn 21 until late October. A lot of people, myself included, weren't expecting a whole lot from him this season. That he might be ready to contribute already says a lot about both the scouting staff of the Minnesota Vikings and a coaching staff that already appears to be light years ahead of previous regimes when it comes to player development.</p>
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/7/31/9077865/danielle-hunter-may-contribute-sooner-than-expectedChristopher Gates